The use of flow metering devices is well known for measuring the quantity of a particular utility resource which is supplied by a utility provider. For example, measuring the quantity of natural gas, electricity and water supplied by the local gas, power and water utility providers to a user of those utility resources has been utilized to determine the payment required for the utility resources actually used by the user. Primarily, such measurements have been accomplished at a service connection point for a building or other structure for each utility resource, without regard to the usage of the utility resources by individual utility resource users within each building.
A flow meter system was disclosed in prior filed and commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/560,161, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, for sub-metering the use of utility resources utilized by many individual utility resource users within a single building. The sub-metering flow meter system disclosed therein is especially suitable for enabling the specific usage of a utility resource by an individual user to be monitored. For example, the sub-metering flow meter system is particularly adapted to measuring water usage in a typical one bedroom, one bath, residence apartment or condominium within a multi-family residence having seven separate water pipes for delivering water, including: (1) a kitchen sink hot water supply pipe; (2) a kitchen sink cold water supply pipe; (3) a bathroom sink hot water supply pipe; (4) a bathroom sink cold water supply pipe; (5) a toilet cold water supply pipe; (6) a shower hot water supply pipe; and (7) a shower cold water supply pipe.
Prior filed and co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/633,537, which is also incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, disclosed a wireless transmission system which could be utilized with a sub-metering flow meter system to facilitate the remote monitoring of the many water supply pipes associated with each tenant of a building.
As a result, a sub-metering flow meter system could now be utilized within each tenant occupied space to monitor the specific usage of water therein from a remote location. Each flow meter comprising the flow meter system could be coupled to each water supply pipe, and the information obtained by the meters concerning the amount of water used could be transmitted by a wireless transmission system.
However, the installation of such a sub-metering flow meter system with the wireless transmission system required that portions of the systems be exposed within the tenant occupied space in some instances, especially the flow meters for exposed water supply pipes. The resulting effect on the aesthetic appearance of the space was, in some applications, somewhat less than desirable, though, due to the presence of the flow meters.
Alternatively, openings in the wall near the exposed water supply pipes would receive and hide the flow meters associated with the exposed pipes. Unfortunately, in some applications, such a procedure would be time consuming, expensive, and would not be entirely aesthetically pleasing in appearance.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved method for installing a flow meter system, and which method can be accomplished with a novel flow meter apparatus. Such a method should enable the flow meter system to be installed onto a utility distribution system quickly and easily, and should substantially conceal all evidence that the flow meter has been installed.